Chelsea's bid to build a new stadium at Earl's Court have suffered a significant blow as Hammersmith and Fulham council gave the green light to an alternative £10billion redevelopment scheme for the former exhibition centre site.
The approved proposals, put forward by the Earls Court Development Company, envision a comprehensive transformation of the area featuring residential properties, commercial spaces and employment opportunities.
The proposals notably exclude any provision for a football ground.
This decision represents a substantial obstacle for the Blues.
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The club identified the Earl's Court location as a viable option whilst exploring possibilities to either renovate or relocate from their current Stamford Bridge home.
The masterplan encompasses 44 acres straddling both Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The Earls Court Development Company confirmed on Thursday morning its vision would generate approximately 4,000 new residences and create around 12,000 jobs.
The developers said the scheme would "transform central London's largest cleared development site".
Chelsea's aspirations to build a new stadium at Earl's Court have suffered a significant blow
|GETTY
They expressed their intention to begin construction at the earliest opportunity, pending approval.
The development remains subject to further approvals before becoming a reality.
Kensington and Chelsea council must still consider the proposals.
December 9 has been identified as the earliest possible voting date.
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The approved proposals envision a comprehensive transformation of the area featuring residential properties, commercial spaces and employment opportunities.
|Following any decision by both councils, the Mayor of London will conduct a review of the plans.
The extensive documentation submitted for Wednesday's meeting comprised 460 pages.
Football received only a single reference to overcrowding at nearby underground stations on match days.
Chelsea's stadium ambitions have encountered setbacks previously, most notably when planning permission secured under Roman Abramovich for a 60,000-capacity ground at Stamford Bridge failed to materialise due to complications surrounding the former owner's visa status.
The club identified the Earl's Court location as a viable option
|GETTY
The current stadium initiative is being overseen by President and Chief Operating Officer Jason Gannon, who brings experience from his involvement in developing Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium.
Should the Earl's Court development proceed, Chelsea's options for redeveloping their existing site appear increasingly limited, particularly following their acquisition of an additional 1.9 acres of land adjacent to Stamford Bridge in 2023.
Such a redevelopment would necessitate demolishing the current ground and temporarily relocating matches elsewhere, similar to Tottenham Hotspur's arrangement at Wembley Stadium during their 2017-19 stadium construction.
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